Writer’s Blog 10

Social Media has grown and developed a major impact on today’s society. In the past decade, social media has grown immensely and become a part of our daily lives.

The first thing most people do when they pick up their phone in the morning is check social media. They have added this into their daily routines. Social media has become such a natural part of our days. We simply scroll so mindlessly on these platforms throughout our days.

Social media has not only altered how we spend our time, but also affected our minds. It caused in increase in mental health issues among its users. Some of the mental health issues that have developed and increased from social media include anxiety, depression, body image issues, and more. These mental health issues are often seen in teens due to social media.

I can speak on these mental health issues developed from social media on a personal level. While I think I have always had a form of anxiety that lived undiagnosed, I do believe social media has worsened it.

I got my very first social media account at a very young age. I had an instagram account where I posted harmless, cringey selfies and pictures. Getting my start on social media at such a young age has also had a major impact on me. I have been using it for as long as I can remember. From this young age I have also been seeing the “standard” of social media and beauty. I see people my age doing things I have never done and looking a certain way that I do not. This caused an anxiety to stir in me.

Seeing people my age, including people I knew, do things that I would never think of doing at that time made me feel behind. I felt that I wasn’t living my life the right way and was not as advanced as I should be at that age. Looking back now, I know I was just fine and did not need to be having those thoughts.

Children are growing up with social media and seeing people older than them and wanting to be like them. It has caused them to want to grow up faster and be like everyone they are seeing online. They want to be like them, look like them, and act like them. When these children realize they are not like the people they see online, it can lead to a creation of these mental health issues.

Unfortunately this has only grown to be a bigger issue. Young kids and teens are all over tik tok and instagram and seeing the current trends. They see influencers in perfect hair and makeup and living the “perfect” life. They are tricked by the falsities of social media, leading them to believe there is something wrong with them and their own life.

How can this be changed? How do we show the reality of social media? How can we help these children and teens?